29th August 1925 After just their first League match Burnley fans knew they were in for a tough First Division season – they lost 10-0 at Aston Villa. Burnley conceded 108 League goals during the season – but weren’t relegated!
29th August 2020 Well, you could easily think the picture above is of a pre-match training session at Wembley - in fact it is of the moment when the first major bit of silverware of the 2020/21 season was decided!!! Tragically coronavirus had ensured that stadiums (stadia??) empty of fans would be the norm. That included Wembley for the Arsenal v Liverpool Community Shield encounter. After finishing level at 1-1 the match went to penalties with Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pictured scoring the winner in Arsenal's 5-4 shoot-out victory. Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang!!!! born in June 1989, played for Deportivo A Coruna (born 18 June 1989) and his national side, Gabon. With over 400 goals in his career, he is the all-time top goalscorer in the UEFA Europa League (34) and has the most goals in Europe's top five leagues for an African player, with over 240 goals. He is also the highest-scoring African player in the history of the Bundesliga. Below, with Arsenal in 2018.
This was the first season with the modern OFFSIDE RULE, where two defenders (as opposed to three, the rule before this season) needed to be in front of the attacker for him to be onside; as a result, offensive play flourished, with the number of goals scored in the First Division increasing from 1,192 to 1,703.
27th August 1938. ON THIS DAY, 88 years ago, Everton's "beacon" crest made its debut, but did so in a relatively inconspicuous location.
Founded in 1878, the club was also a founding member of the English Football League in 1888, and was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, one of just three clubs to have been a founding member of both leagues.Everton is the club with the second-longest continuous presence in English top-flight football, and ranks third in the all-time points rankings. As of August 2025, the club has competed in the top division for a RECORD 123 seasons,
Everton's first crest, which dates back to 1920, consisted simply of the interlocking initials "EFC." According to the official club history, secretary Theo Kelly decided that a newer crest was needed—he wanted to include one on a club necktie. He also designed the crest, using the local landmark known as Prince Rupert's Tower as its centerpiece, adding laurels as emblems off success, and including the motto "Nil satis, nisi optimum," which translates to "Nothing but the best is good enough."
The club produced the neckties as proposed, and they were worn for the first time by Kelly and club chairman Earnest Green on the opening day of the 1938-39 season in the First Division. Everton were away at Blackpool that day and won 0-2 with goals from Tommy Lawton and Alex Stevenson. Kelly and Green continued to wear the ties throughout the season, which ended with Everton claiming their fifth league title (and Kelly became the team's manager for the following season). The new crest was not used on the team's shirts, however, until 1978. The crest has since undergone several modifications, most recently in 2013 when the club simplified the design, dropping both the laurels and the motto. But those changes caused an uproar among Everton supporters and the club vowed to reevaluate the crest at the end of the 2013-14 season. A promise they kept!!
Everton FC is nicknamed The Toffees, owing to local rival sweet shops, obviously making toffees, mainly!One shop run by Molly Bushell in the 18th century was near Everton Brow and this shop made the original, famous "Everton Toffee" and fans bought their sweets on their way to matches.
Mother Noblett’s Toffee Shop also located near Goodison Park, was a rival shop that sold "Everton Mints"—YOU KNOW....black-and-white striped sweets with a hard sugar shell and a toffee center. The stripes matched an old team jersey, making them a hit with supporters.The Toffee Lady Tradition, the Toffee Lady, would walk around the Goodison Park pitch before kick-off. She handed out or threw free Everton mints into the crowd. This historic match day tradition cemented the sweet-themed nickname for generations.
Despite the riveting story above, some people have suggested that the tale of the Toffee Shops is a fabricated tale and that the famous Blues nickname comes from an even older name, The Taffies, which commemorates the clubs connections in history to Liverpool's nearby neighbourhood country, Wales. So that's put the cat amongst the mice!!
On the 20th August 1960 Tottenham Hotspur had begun a new season having come third in the First Division (in those days the top division) in the previous campaign. Burnley had won the title that year. Playing Everton at White Hart Lane, in front of over 53,000 fans, the two teams were heading for a draw when the England centre forward, Bobby Smith, who was more bull than gazelle, was brought down in the box for a penalty, but the referee played advantage and Les Allen, a silky number 10, took advantage and slotted the first goal. Two minutes later Smith scored the second to send the Spurs to the top of the league.
Smith was from North Yorkshire and he scored 176 goals for Spurs in 271 games. He started at Chelsea, went to Brighton briefly and I saw him play for Hastings United in an FACup qualifier at Horsham Town. He was on his way down by then and actually quite old! His career with England was fairly successful with 15 goals in 13 games.
By the end of the season Tottenham had won the league and the FA Cup, beating Leicester City in the 1961 Final.
I saw Spurs draw 4-4 with Burnley at WHLane in front of a crowd of over 58,000, a game Spurs were well in charge at half time, 4-0, until John Connelly, an England winger, and Ray Pointer, also an England centre forward made their mark. Pointer was a proven goal scorer but he only played three times for England scoring twice. Spurs scored 115 goals that season and conceded 55, the second lowest in the division.
The next season, Leicester represented England in the European Cup Winners Cup because Tottenham were playing in the European Cup, as it was known then, Aston Villa won the Football League Cup, Birmingham City played in the third Inter Cities Fairs Cup (open only to one city from each European Country-16 countries participated) and lost in the final to Roma over two legs. Sheffield Wednesday were first Division runners up and Newcastle and Preston were relegated.
On 14 August 2005, Lyon and Chelsea agreed a £24.4 million fee for Essien, ending one of the longest-running transfer sagas. At the time, the fee made Essien Chelsea's most expensive signing of all time, surpassing the £24 million Chelsea paid for Didier Drogba the previous summer. The transfer went through on 19 August.
Essien made his debut as a second-half sub against Arsenal on 21 August 2005, wearing the number 5 on his shirt. The match ended in a 1–0 victory to Chelsea. He made an assist in his full debut against WBA,replascing the injured Claude Makélélé in the defensive midfield role against Sunderland in the 2–0 win on 10 September 2005. He soon cemented his place in Jose Mourinho's side, starting in 31 domestic league matches, as well as 11 appearances in other cup competitions.
On 15 December 2005, Essien was given a two-match ban by UEFA for a controversial tackle onDietmar Hamann, which resulted in hissuspensionfrom Chelsea's Champions League second round tie with eventual European championsBarcelona. Essien apologised to Hamann for the challenge, stating that while he desires to be perceived as a player who "unsettles" opponents, he was not a malicious or an unsporting player; Hamann publicly accepted Essien's apology. In January 2006,
Essien warming up before a game in 2008
Essien scored his first goal for Chelsea from a low cross fromShaun Wright-Phillipson 11 March 2006, in a 2–1 victory overTottenham Hotspur.His second goal came on 17 April 2006, againstEvertonwith a powerful strike after an assertive burst through the defensive line. Essien ended his maiden season in England with two goals, both in the Premier League.
Essien was nominated for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year Award on 12 October 2006, where he placed 22nd. One week later, he was nominated for the 2006Ballon d'Or. He was voted as the third BestAfrican Footballer of the Yearin 2006, a feat he also achieved in 2005. He won the 2006 BBC African footballer of the year award.
On 15 May 2007, Chelsea fans voted Essien as ChelseaPlayer of the Yearfor his contributions in the 2006–07 season, becoming the first African to receive the honour. His late dramatic equalising goal against Arsenal was also voted as Chelsea Goal of the Season for 2006–07.
On 12 August 2007, Essien scored the winner with his first goal of the 2007-8 Premier League campaign, as Chelsea defeated Birmingham City to set an English record for unbeaten league matches at home, eclipsing Liverpool's previous top-flight record of 63 sets between 1978 and 1981.
On 10 October 2007, Essien was nominated for the prestigious 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Award for the third consecutive year and on 21 October 2007, he was also nominated for the 2007 Ballon d'Or Award for the third consecutive year. He was voted 15th Best Player in the World at the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Awards. On 12 December 2007, he was nominated for the 2007 African Footballer of the Year, the third consecutive time he had been nominated. He was runner-up to that year's winner, FredericKanoute.
On 22 July 2008, Essien signed a new five-year deal with Chelsea, keeping him at the club until 2013. He also extended his contract on 12 March 2007.
Essien playing for Chelsea in 2010
It was feared Essien would miss the 2008-9 Premier season after sustaining acldamage on 5 September while playing for Ghana. However, on 7 March 2009, he came on as a substitute in the second half of the FA Cup match againstCoventry City. In his second match back from the knee injury, Essien scored just before half-time to give Chelsea a vitalaway goalagainstJuventusin the Champions League first knockout round. Chelsea went on the draw the match 2–2 and through to the quarter-finals 3–2 on aggregate. He made his first league start from injury againstManchester City, scoring the only goal in the match.
On 6 May 2009, Essien scored a left-footed volley in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal against Barcelona, a tie that Chelsea ultimately lost due to the away goal rule. The goal was later voted as Chelsea's Goal of the Season by the club's fans.
In the2009–10 Premier League season, Essien put in an excellent performance against Blackburn Rovers on 24 October 2009 and scored his first goal of the season with a swerving 35-yard shot on 52 minutes in a 5–0 victory at Stamford Bridge. He scored his first brace for Chelsea against Wolverhampton Wanderers with a header and a low shot from outside the box and came close to completing his first hat-trick for the club with a flurry of second-half shots, one of which was tipped onto the bar by Wolves goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. Essien was injured on international duty during the 2010 African Nations Cup and missed the remainder of the English domestic season. On 4 June 2010, he signed a two-year extension to his existing contract which would have kept him at the club until 2015. Essien returned to action on 17 July 2010 in a friendly against Crystal Palace and scored the only goal of the match to give Chelsea the win.
After missing the 2010 FIFA World Cup through injury, Essien had a bright start to the season for Chelsea. He scored the only goal in a pre-season friendly win against Crystal Palace and was an ever-present in Chelsea's unbeaten month of August. He scored a brace against West Ham United, and he scored against MSK Zillinain the UEFA Champions League. Essien also put in impressive performances against Marseille, Blackburn Rovers and Fulham, the latter a match in which he scored the only goal and received a red card. However, Essien would again incur an injury and missed two months of the season, during which Chelsea won just one out of nine matches. He returned to score in the penalty shoot-out loss in the FA Cup against Everton but ultimately had a poor second half of the season. After Chelsea's final match, the Ghana FAannounced Essien had returned to the international squad.
In pre-season training for the 2011–12 Premier League season, Essien ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus, undergoing surgery on 11 July 2011. His recovery was said to take up to six months. However, he began training lightly in late November 2011 and made his comeback on 9 January 2012, playing 75 minutes of the reserves' 3–2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion. He made his 150th Premier League appearance for Chelsea as a substitute in a 1–0 win over Sunderland. On 21 January 2012, Essien featured as late substitute in Chelsea's 0–0 draw away at Norwich City.
Due to missing most of the beginning half of the 2011–12 Premier League season, Essien was unable to gain favour with manager André Villas-Boas. On 21 February 2012, during a Champions' League match against Napoli, Villas-Boas left Frank Lampard, Essien and Ashley Cole on the substitutes' bench. Chelsea lost 3–1 and the club's technical director asked for an explanation of the team selection on behalf of Chelsea owner Abramovic!! On 4 March 2012, following a 1–0 league defeat against West Brom which left Chelsea three points adrift of Arsenal in the battle for fourth place in the Premier League, Villas-Boas' employment was terminated by Chelsea, with assistant manager Robert Di Matteo being appointed as caretaker manager on an interim basis until the end of the season. Di Matteo immediately showed favour towards veteran Chelsea players like Essien, Lampard and John Terry. Subsequently, Essien started in Chelsea's second leg champions league fixture against Napoli, with Chelsea winning 4–1 – and 5–4 on aggregate – in an entertaining match allowing Chelsea to advance to the quarter-final, where they met Benfica. Essien subsequently remained an unused substitute in Chelsea's Champions League run, culminating in The Blues' victory over Bayern Munich in the Final making Chelsea the first London-based club to win the title. Cheer Up Manager!!
Reg suffers from dementia, so his daughter has plenty of stimulants on his walls to remind him of his "glorious" past. The 1946 FA Cup Final against Charlton Athletic will be centre piece in the memory wall.
Reg, born 22 May 1923 at Normaton started his footballing career playing for non-league Derby Corinthians as a youth. 97 years old in May and surviving pneumonia during the lockdown, Reg is the oldest living FA Cup winner and he took on this honour when team mate Jim Bullions died in 2014. They were the two youngest in the team in 1946. It was back to basics in those days with a mile and a half walk to the training ground for Reg and changing for training sessions in an old railway carriage, then running to a suitably distanced, named village and back, decided by the manager, Stuart MacMillan! Presumably there would be a ball involved somewhere.
The post final parade in the city was arranged with deckchairs on an open truck owned by Offilers Beer Company. Reg had a hundred tickets for the final which no doubt helped him pay his way!
His girlfriend, when war broke out, was Win (whom he married in 1945) who with a friend would cycle to Newark, on a tandem to meet up with her future husband, an 80 mile round trip. No explanation of what her mate did once in Newark! They celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in March 2015.
During the war he guested for Sheffield Utd, Notts County, Charlton Ath and Hartlepool United.
Reg played for Derby County from 1944-55, making 281 apps and scoring 59 goals. He then joined Boston United in the Midlands League and in 1955-6 went to Derby's Baseball ground in an FA Cup tie 2nd Round, which Boston won 1-6. In Rd 4 they met Spurs and lost 4-0. Spurs lost the semi-final to Manchester City 1-0. City won the Cup in 1956.
Reg played and managed at Long Eaton United from 1958-62 and after that he managed at Wilmorton and Alveston FC and at Alfreton Town FC. He continued to work in the Community for the Derbyshire County Council and retired at 63 years old, when he was given the Freedom of the City in 2018. Well deserved!!
17th August 1964 Liverpool won 5-0 away to KR Reykjavik in a European Cup Preliminary Round tie - nothing new then?? IT WAS Liverpool's first match in a European competition.
Those were the days before clubs chartered aircraft for away European ties and Liverpool's squad had a long-winded journey to Iceland. They flew from Liverpool to London, then from London to Prestwick in Scotland. Having a few hours to spare manager Bill Shankly put the players on a bus to show them the area he grew up in - and that included a visit to the Butlins holiday camp! And then more excitement with a flight from Prestwick to Iceland.
ON this day in 1996, David Beckham...remember him? at 21 years old, in his second full season with ManUtd... on the opening of the new Premiership League season, United were playing out time against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park (remember why The Dons played there?)... United, already two up and just before the final whistle, Neil Sullivan, The Dons' keeper...remember him? .....was casually off his line......and so Becks, about 40 yards away, with a swing of his trusty right boot, sent the ball towards the Dons' goal, over Sullivan's head, who was "back tracking", but to no avail, as he ended up in a heap, with the ball nestling into the back of the Wimbledon net! Final score 0-3.
Beckham, arms spread wide, Sullivan sprawling!! Poor old Neil...what is often forgotten, is that United's Jordi Cruyff playing in his debut match, had tried exactly the same cheeky lob with Sullivan having gone "walkabout" ten minutes before! The two careers went in different directions BUT who knows what Cruyff might have achieved had that lob gone in??!!
FOR in the next game he was lobbed from another 40 yards by Newcastle Utd's David Batty......
